HEADS UP

JetBlue Puts Business Travelers First

The discount carrier gives first choice of seats to its favorite business customers.

By Sean O'Neill, Thursday, Mar 29, 2007, 9:54 AM

Bad news if you're a JetBlue customer who doesn't have a corporate travel planner buying plane tickets for you. Between now and June, JetBlue will test a program where it guarantees aisle and window seats to business travelers who travel heavily. Leisure travelers won't have access to these guarantees, making them more likely to be assigned middle seats, according a story first reported by trade publication Travel Weekly.

While JetBlue is not introducing a separate business class section, the airline's new program is yet another example in a trend of airlines offering shabbier service to budget-conscious leisure travelers. See our story, "Maybe We Should Charge Extra to Read This Page."